It's What Friends Are For
by Rinusagitora
Summary: AU. Rated T for language. Not really HitsuKarin but kind of. /"Karin, you deserve gold, nothing less. Renji didn't give you gold, so you shouldn't feel bad about dumping him, okay?"/


Hello! This muse kind of attacked me out of nowhere and insisted I write it, so here it is! It really isn't HitsuKarin, it's more of a friendship thing, but I still think it's kind of cute. Enjoy!

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"Dude, can I hang out for a few hours at your place?"

I look over my locker door, red flags popping up like kettle corn. Karin was fidgety- fingers playing with the elastic band of her sweater, and eyes refusing to meet my gaze, staring instead at her sneakers.

Something has her upset, I conclude.

"Whose face should I punch?" I ask as I slam my locker shut. Karin's eyebrow twitches.

"Nobody's. Just answer my question." She snarls, clearly lacking the patience for my threats. I relent with a quiet sigh. Karin was the priority right now, as she rarely had to talk to somebody about her personal problems. Whatever was bugging her, I needed to address calmly and help her through it.

"Sure. I don't have a problem with you hanging out for a few hours." I say, offering my arm. She loops hers through mine and we cut through the busy halls of our high school. When we were outside and away from any eavesdropping classmates, I finally ask what was eating at her.

"Tell me the whole story. You're worrying me." I implore. Karin was never anxious, let alone secretive.

Her eyebrows furrow. "You know how Renji and my relationship's been kinda rocky lately?"

"Yeah… you've talked about it before." I nod.

"Well, I got tired of his shit and said we needed to talk after school and I just... dumped him." She shrugs to accentuate the simplicity.

"I see." I purse my lips. "I'm sorry..." I glance at her from the corner of my eye. "What else? There's obviously something else wrong with you."

My friend's lips tighten as she glares at the cement. "It just seems so superficial to break up over texting, but it bugged me so much. I just couldn't put up with it anymore."

"I don't think it's ridiculous." I say as we cut through my yard. "If you say you're going to do something and you don't, it's really disrespectful." I explain as I unlock the front door.

"I know!" Karin exclaims as she throws her hands into the air. "I just can't believe his _audacity!_ He promises to text me and shit but then it's two hours to midnight and I got _nothing!_" She fumes as she sits on my couch. "I know it's silly to be angry over _texting, _but I'm more angry over the concept. His phone seems to be either dead or broken more often than not, and it makes me wonder if he was lying. Like, dude, if you don't want to talk to me, then say so! I hate it when people bullshit me and think they can get away with it! If he can't keep his word over something silly like texting me back, then how would he keep more important promises in the future?!" She asks rhetorically.

I sit next to her, passing her a soda I grabbed from the fridge.

"Your emotions are understandable- justifiable even. You deserve better than him." I comfort her.

"I feel so stupid though! He could weave sweet, meaningful words together, make me actually _believe_ he wasn't a total jackass, but he's just hiding a lying, conniving side!"

"I agree with you. Anyone who just makes promises willy-nilly _is_ a jerk."

Her bottom lip wobbles. "But you know what he said after I dumped him? '_Okay, I won't bug you anymore,_' with those kicked puppy eyes. How cruel can you be?" A single tear streaks down her cheek, and then another. God, it'd been years since she cried... "It would've been so much better if he begged me to reconsider or something, but _nooooo, _he had to plunge one last fucking knife into my heart before he was done with me." She covers her face with her hands. "This is so stupid! I'm crying over a boy who came to me on _his _whims, just like Grimmjow! I should be overjoyed to be free of him, but instead I'm crying like an idiot!" She cries, slightly muffled by her hands.

I lean against the back of the couch, stretching my legs out in front of me. "Again, your feelings are reasonable Karin. You and Renji were going out for almost five months and were close friends for two years. You're attached to him, and you have an excuse to be. He was always more attentive than Grimmjow, less blatantly douchebaggish, and helped you through the really rough break-up. It makes sense that after your second boyfriend, the first one who wasn't abusive, that you'd be mourning."

Karin wipes her eyes, scowling and still crying. "I feel like the bad guy now."

"There aren't any bad guys in this. But Renji was wrong to disrespect you over and over like that. You deserve better than white lies." I rub her back companionably. A few tears stain her jeans and she sniffs.

"I'm so stupid. I miss him." She confesses.

I roll my eyes. "It hasn't even been an hour since you dumped him, Karin. Of course you miss him."

"But it's ridiculous! I'm the one who broke up with him, but I'm _missing _him! I'm so codependent on my boyfriends that it's sickening!" My friend vents.

"Jesus Christ, Karin." I sigh, exasperated. "You aren't codependent. Far from it, in fact. You're possibly the most independent teen I know. You're educated in so many areas because you _want _to be,- smarter sometimes than even our instructors- you're a natural leader and diplomat, you form opinions based on experience, countless hours of research, and different opinions gathered from a large group of people, you're more open-minded than many people, and you're willing to call somebody out when they're misinformed or out of line- not to mention how imposing you can be. Need I say it again? You're _far _from codependent." I scoff. "In fact, if you ask me, you're so far out of Renji's league, I'm surprised you even looked in his _general direction._" I stare earnestly. "Karin, you deserve gold, nothing less. Renji didn't give you gold, so you shouldn't feel bad about dumping him, okay? You did nothing wrong."

She pulls the collar of her top to her eyes and wipes them. "... Do you... do you think he's crying? Or upset?" My friend whispers softly. "Because now that I think back, he was so curt, like he _wanted _to break up." She blanches and whips her head to the side. "What if all this is a big understanding and we just needed to clear some things up? What if I'm making a mistake?!"

"It isn't a mistake," I assure her. "Renji isn't a bad person- he just isn't good enough for you."

She sighs and folds herself over, her head resting between her knees, arms limply hanging by her calves. She looked so tired, so weak. Crying had probably taken a toll on her, seeing as how the last time she cried was when her mother died eleven years ago. You're a luckier man than you realize, Renji, if she was crying over you.

"Are relationships always so _draining?_" My friend inquires quietly.

"I wouldn't know." I reply, rubbing her back. "What I do know is that your hurt won't last forever. You'll find someone else, fall in love with them, and maybe they won't be the one, but someday you'll find someone who'll love you and respect you and adore you and keep his word and never cheat on you, because he'll know just how phenomenal you are and that you deserve nothing less than perfection."

She cranes her head and smiles at me, cheeks puffy and red. "Thank you. I think I feel better now." She compliments. I smile back tenderly.

"Always. It's what friends are for."


End file.
